They also use secure SSL connections between their news servers and you. This ensures your ISP and other snoops cannot see what you are downloading from newsgroups. SSL connections are the Usenet equivalent of HTTPS websites for web browsing.

But to be even safer, you should use a VPN while using Usenet. Let us tell you why.

#1) Newshosting Usenet plus VPN Bundle

There are plenty of reasons why Newshosting is the best Usenet provider. But what makes it also the best Usenet plus VPN package is that its VPN is free for annual subscribers and a darn good VPN in its own right.

With Newshosting’s Usenet VPN bundle you get free unlimited VPN access with an annual account.

The same people behind Newshosting were also behind IPVanish VPN, a top 10 VPN it its own right. So, it's little wonder the Usenet plus VPN combination offered by Newshosting is a great one.

Plus, Newshosting’s Usenet VPN bundle comes with a 14-day risk free trial, so you have nothing to lose by giving it a try.

Plus, VyprVPN was the world’s first publicly audited no-log VPN service. That means you can be confident that your activities are not being logged by VyprVPN and that none of your activities while connected to it can come back to haunt you. This makes VyprVPN ideal for torrenting and online streaming. 🙂

Of course, this makes VyprVPN also perfect for hiding your Usenet activity from your ISP and preventing them from slowing down your connection.

Giganews’ headline Diamond Plan is admittedly not cheap. But look closer and you'll see much cheaper Giganews’ plans that also come with a bundled VPN.

Why You Should Use a VPN with Usenet

With the secure SSL connections that come with good Usenet plans, your ISP will still be able to tell that you are using Usenet. They will not be able to see the actual contents of what you are downloading, but will still be able to see you are connecting to a news server.

When you use a VPN with Usenet, your Usenet activities themselves are hidden and routed through an encrypted tunnel of data between you and your Usenet provider’s news servers.

This means even your ISP won't be able to tell that you are using Usenet, let alone what you are specifically downloading from Usenet newsgroups.

Why Hide Usenet from My ISP?

Why would you want to hide the fact from your ISP that you are using Usenet?

Well, Usenet use is very high bandwidth. For example, and in contrast to torrents and web browsing, you can “max out” your bandwidth using Usenet. This means that you can utilize 100% of your ISP's connection speed with Usenet.

ISP's don’t like this and, if they detect Usenet use, they will slow down your connection speed, sometimes automatically. ISP's call this “traffic shaping” or “traffic throttling”, but it's just a fancy way of saying that your ISP will slow you down.

If you camouflage your Usenet activities with a VPN, your ISP will be powerless to throttle or shape your traffic. 🙂

Plus, a VPN will also help you use Usenet whenever you are travelling or away from home. For example, most hotel, work and school networks will block access to Usenet. Using a Usenet VPN bundle will help you bypass these connection blocks and firewalls.​

But Won't a VPN Slow Down Usenet?

Ironically, if you know how VPNs work, you'll know that, almost by definition, a VPN will make your Internet connection slower compared to when the VPN is not enabled.

That's because the VPN service encrypts your traffic and sends it to and from the VPN service’s servers. These extra steps performed by the VPN service do take some extra time.

However, the overall benefit can still mean faster Usenet because using a VPN enables you to bypass your ISP’s traffic shaping and throttling measures.

Reddit Users Aren't Always Right

In researching Usenet VPN bundle plans, you may have come across some threads on Reddit.

In these threads, many Reddit readers express the opinion that SSL is "enough" and a VPN is not needed as long as you use SSL secure connections.

However, they neglect to adequately address the point we make above about ISP throttling!

Yes, SSL connections protect you from snoops and from your ISP seeing what you download, but your ISP can still see that you are connecting to a Usenet news server. This means that even when you use SSL connections, your ISP can still see that you are downloading from Usenet. To prevent your ISP from seeing you are using Usenet at all and from being throttled, use a VPN!

A Usenet VPN Bundle is a Must for Posting to Newsgroups

A VPN is also a must if you plan on posting (uploading) anything to Usenet.

That’s because anything you post to Usenet will be stamped with your IP address. This makes the posts traceable back to you.

Using a VPN for posting ensures the VPN service’s IP address is stamped on Usenet posts rather than your own. In this way, the VPN facilitates anonymous Usenet posting (uploading).

But it’s a little more complicated than that especially if uploading high-risk content because you would also have to sign up for the Usenet provider and VPN service anonymously too. That’s possible (see anonymous Usenet and anonymous VPN) but best left to advanced users.

In fact, posting to Usenet can be tricky business so we highly recommend that only advanced users ever even think about posting to Usenet newsgroups. The beauty of Usenet is that leeching is fully encouraged. 🙂 You are fully free to only take take take when it comes to Usenet. This contrasts with torrents for which you are expected to “give back” and seed (upload) files.

What to Look for in a Usenet VPN Bundle

By now, you should be convinced of the benefits if using a Usenet VPN bundle.

Other than the speed issue mentioned above (which anyway brings more benefits than drawbacks), the one major disadvantage of a VPN is that it is usually not free; a VPN subscription costs money.

But the good news is that it doesn't have to cost much. In fact, many Usenet plans now throw in a VPN for free if you sign up for a longer-term plan, usually one year.

But is that a good idea? It depends.

If the VPN offered by the Usenet provider has the features below, then yes, it is a good choice.

First and foremost, it must be a non-logging VPN. This means that it does not keep any records of what you are doing while using the VPN and certainly not the times and your IP address when you connected to it.

It must be fast. The surest way to determine whether it is fast is to give it a try. Most of the Usenet VPN bundle packages, including those we recommend below, offer a free trial. Make use of these generous trials and put the strives through the paces.

It must offer a decent amount of server locations. This is related to speed in that you will want to connect to a VPN server close to your and/or the Usenet provider’s news server locations. You want to minimize the distance your traffic has to travel between your computer and the Usenet provider’s servers. If the VPN only has a few server locations that don't accommodate this, it will likely slow you down too much. At the same time, the number of VPN server locations for Usenet is not as important as for example if you want to use the VPN for online streaming or geo shifting in which case the more server locations the better. The technicalities of all this are a little more complicated, but don't worry: simply make use of the free trial offers available.

Alternatives to Usenet VPN Bundle Plans

If the VPN offered by the Usenet provider you are considering does not have these features, you have two choices.

Either you can look for a different Usenet provider offering a free VPN that does have these features (such as those we recommend) or you can stick with your existing or planned Usenet provider and arrange for a separate standalone VPN service.

The second option will be more expensive but is the better option if you already have or are set on a specific Usenet provider. In that case, you will probably want one of the cheaper but still very reliable standalone VPN services such as Private Internet Access or NordVPN.